Introduction to copyright law uib

In certain languages, copyright is referred to as authors’ rights.
Although international law has brought about some convergence, this distinction reflects an historic differ- ence in the evolution of these rights that is still reflected in many copyright systems.

For the purposes of copyright protection, the term “literary and artistic works” in- cludes every original work of authorship, irrespective of its literary or artistic merit.
The ideas in the work do not need to be original, but the form of expression must be an original creation by the author.

It explains in general terms the principles of copyright law and practice and describes the different types of rights that copyright and related rights pro- tect, as well as the limitations and exceptions to those rights.
It also briefly covers transfer of copyright and provisions for enforcement.

The Berne Convention, in Article 14bis, contains rules for determining initial ownership of rights in cinematographic works.
Certain national laws also provide that where a work is created by an author employed for the purpose of creating that work, the em- ployer, not the author, is the owner of the copyright in that work.